WACO, Texas (AP) — Norchad Omier had 19 points and a season-high 24 rebounds, leading No. 25 Baylor to a 107-53 rout of Arlington Baptist on Friday night.
Omier scored 13 of his 19 in the first half, including a two-handed dunk 17 seconds into the game, and led six Bears (8-3) in double figures. He finished two rebounds shy of his career high.
Freshman guard Rob Wright finished with 13 points while Jayden Nunn, Langston Love and Cal transfer Jalen Celestine all had 11.
Freshman guard VJ Edgecombe added 10 points while forward Josh Ojianwuna had 10 points and 10 rebounds in Baylor’s eighth consecutive home victory.
Jamar McCray had 12 points on 6-of-8 shooting for the Patriots (1-11), a Division II school in the National Christian College Athletic Association.
Omier had 13 points and 11 rebounds at halftime, when Baylor led 51-28.
Takeaways
Arlington Baptist: The Patriots have played 10 straight road games and don’t return home until Jan. 14 against Dallas Christian.
Baylor: It was the Bears’ final tune-up before Big 12 play and a third win in a row since falling to two-time defending national champion UConn, 76-72, on the road.
Key moment
Baylor had a 23-0 run early in the first half. Omier scored six points and Arlington Baptist had seven turnovers in that eight-minute stretch.
Key stat
Omier scored his 2,000th career point with six minutes left in the second half. The fifth-year forward who played two seasons at Miami and another two at Arkansas State needs 68 rebounds to become the 14th NCAA player with 2,000 points and 1,500 rebounds. His 74 career double-doubles are the most among active players.
Up next
Baylor’s Big 12 opener is at home against Utah on Tuesday.
___
Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 all season. Sign up here. AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball
Copyright © 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.
